PS stands for Plain and Simple! I love writing stories to enhance reading of God's Word. The Holy Bible has always been transforming lives and penetrative to our inner souls where no other books can ever do. I desire every Christian to love God's Word as fresh bread from the oven of heaven!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

What I found interesting about this book is the authors’
eagerness to make sure everything seen in heaven is being verified by the Scriptures.
This well written book also grants readers a sense of suspense of what’s next.
I know that everyone wants to know a little bit more about heaven, but to me, heaven
is not only what this book is all about. The authors’ intention is to uplift readers
as they struggle through many areas of their life by this heavenly journey. Today’s
world is all about visuals and this could be the best method to present Christ
and inspiring messages to the masses. Personally, I always have been careful when
someone told of his or her journey from heaven to earth but this book did change
me quite a bit. An inspiring book for all and I recommend it for everyone!

I want to thank Book Sneeze for giving me this ebook free for the purpose of this review.

Friday, September 14, 2012

“Don’t
give up!” my best friend, Amy, cried with me. “We are with you,” she spoke
hugging me. I kept my chin up, tears and all, fighting hard to resist that
temptation of walking away from it all. The thugs came consistently to warn me
about what they would do to my younger son if I continue to dwell on it.

Just
the other day, my eldest son was dragged away to prison for a charge of
speaking against the authorities. He was simply protecting me from being beaten
by a group of men. Both my younger son and I were punched and kicked as we held
on to him so tightly like any mother or a close brother would. While they
pulled away my son, they screamed with hatred, “We shall return!”

That
day, if not for Amy, I would have gone crazy from overwhelming sorrow. I had
never felt such pain since the time my husband was sentenced to die for a crime
he didn’t commit. It was a trump-up charge by the authorities.

Ever
since that day my husband and I gathered a group of people to fight against
injustices for all the farm workers, we were targeted. We could no longer stand
in silence to watch the employers and land owners exploited these helpless
humans. They were treated like slaves, toiling all day for a meagre pay. All we
want was to tell the bosses that they depended on the workers too. And to
remind them that it was God that gave them ability to get wealth.

Every
time I wanted to give up, there would be people like Amy and so many poor souls
coming to lift up my spirit. Even my younger son fought back tears, telling me
to fight on. I would never forget those words he said to me, “Don’t let papa
down!”

Just
as I was feeling that we are fighting a losing battle, I heard some noise
outside my house. It was Joseph, a man known for his compassion, came to see me
with many people. “Erica, we came here to tell you something,” he spoke gently.
“There are now more and more workers joining your, “Justice for Workers”
campaign and we have decided to have you continue leading us. As for your
safety, we have already kept in touch with some good people in high places and
they said they would support your cause,” he added. There was a thunderous
applause as Joseph finished. I felt as if a bright light just dawned on me. I
know the battle was not over yet but it was a huge relief for me.

“Can
I suggest something to you, Erica?” Joseph asked politely. “Can we change the
name from “Justice for Workers” to Justice for All” campaign?” The reason is
that we would also want justice for your husband and for your oldest son,” he
added and patted me on my shoulder to console me.

Deep
down I knew that it would be a long battle to change a corrupt society. It
would take a strong group of righteous people who feared only God to fight. And
to win the battle, it entailed those who were willing to sacrifice, even their
very lives!

I
asked myself a deep question occasionally, “Do I want to hold on to my life or
am I willing to give it away for the sake of others?” Although it was so
extremely difficult, but inside me, there was this little glow of satisfaction
that I just couldn’t explain.

One
day, my younger son excitedly told me about a Person who claimed to be the
Messiah who was passing by. It was the opportunity I wouldn’t want to miss.
There was already a large crowd there and so we stood a distance away.

Then
I saw Him. Just by looking at His eyes, I could sense He was somewhat different
from the rest of us. He stood upright and spoke in a booming voice,

“Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those
who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown
mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are
persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds
of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your
reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.”

The
Messiah paused. Those last few words touched me deeply. It was as if Jesus the
Christ explained that unexplainable satisfaction deep within my soul. It seemed
absurd to be happy as being persecuted. But then, I understood exactly what the
Messiah meant – I was in the centre of what God was doing and it fitted right
in with Him. Right there and then, I didn’t care if I got any applause from men.
All I wanted was the approval of God, even if it meant giving my life!

The
eight and the last beatitude of Jesus speaks of being persecuted for
righteousness and for Him. As Jesus also mentions prophets of old, he means
sacrificing of lives as well. Many of those prophets died doing the will of
God.

Depending
on which country you live in right now, those words of Jesus may mean a lot or
may not mean anything at all. In some countries today (Yes! Twenty first century!),
there are still persecution of Christians, imprisonment, torture and even
deaths as they preach the good news of Christ! For many other countries,
Christians are free to worship and preach the Word to others without being
persecuted or harassed. However, the ills of complacency and neglect in
reaching the lost often follow this comfortable freedom.

A
believer in Christ can make a choice to either be a true disciple of Christ or be
someone who lives comfortably waiting for a pie in the sky.

The latter will choose
not to get ‘dirty’ for God and others but cruise along life uninvolved in the
things of God. These Christians may be happy once in a while but will never
experience the true satisfaction that God offers in being a disciple of Christ.
Regret awaits them when they leave this earth. Even when many of these grow
old, their past apathy will haunt them greatly.

To
those who choose to do the right thing, the tears that they sow will not go
unnoticed by God. They will reap in joy! The hardship, suffering, torture and
martyrdom for Christ, to God, it is of great honour! Sometimes it is such
oxymoron when we glance at the beatitudes, but when we look closely, they were gems
beyond the natural eyes. To the uninformed and ignorant, these were foolish
sayings but to those disciples of Jesus Christ, the joy they found in God, is
irreplaceable, priceless.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

That night, I cried myself to sleep again. There was really
nothing I could do anymore. My heart resigned to the fact that they would not
be reconciled again, ever. It was terribly frustrating. The next morning, I
woke up thinking about the good old days. I hate my mind sometimes for not
shutting down when I wanted to forget everything. I still remembered vividly
the days when my younger sister and I were carried by our dad’s strong arms and
my mom would jokingly wanted to be carried too. We often went picnicking and as
we scampered around under his watchful eyes, my own eyes would catch hold of
tender hugs and kisses of the two lovebirds. I felt such peace and security
when my parents did that. It was a little like heaven on earth.

Those days were gone. Why people could love each other so
much previously and then turned so nasty a little later on? It was bewildering
and overwhelming. I felt helpless and distressed. As I prayed for them, I was
brought to remembrance how I was a successful mediator between few disputing friends
in different times and situations. Could I do the same with my parents? Yes,
there was a mention of the dreaded ‘D’ word but if I give up, it might become a
reality. That to me would be disastrous!

“Wake up, dear! Time for school,” my mom called in her usual
sweet voice. I called her, “the master chef” as she could cook delicious meals
throughout the day, deserts, appetizer you named it. When I greeted her that day,
it was not her usual cheery self anymore. That sad look on her face broke my
heart to thousand pieces. That day, it did something inside me. I was fired up
to be a mediator, by ‘hook or by crook’. It would be my greatest task, the most
challenging and emotional one thus far, I thought to myself.

“Hi, dad!” I spoke as he opened the door for me. He was
staying in his friend’s house. Although separated from my mom just few weeks
ago, he looked distraught and messy. “How is your sister?” he asked sadly. I knew he would bring
up this topic of her favourite daughter. “She is not good, dad. Her grades are
down and I heard crying from inside her room,” I told him the truth, the whole
truth. “I am so sorry, June. I know it would affect both of you but..,” I saw
drops of tears from his eyes. We hugged and cried together.

“I know this is between you and mom but just tell me what
can I do, anything, so that both of you could come back together?” I asked
softly but firmly. In my heart, I was
willing even to die to see them reconciled. “I know even though you can talk it
over with mom, it would not be back to good days straight away, no matter how I
wished,” I quickly added before he could give his excuses.

“It is not that easy, June. Can your mom accept the person I
have become? Yes, I know I was not like before but she has to come to term with
who I am,” he blurted.

“But will you accept her as she is the same you wanted her
to accept you?” I chipped. “Can both of you let God do the changing?”

“I don’t know. We are just not compatible anymore,” my dad
raised his voice in frustration, sounded confused. “Dad, it is not about
compatibility but about taking the lead to make things right. “Can you do it for me, for Sue?” I pleaded.
An unexpected silence ensued. Although his ego refused to let him nod his head,
I could see his heart was willing to give it a try.

"I don’t know how now, after I had said some nasty things to her,” my
dad surprised me with those words.

“Dad, I stayed with mom and I know for a fact she is
devastated with what had happened! Give it a good try,” I pressed. From the bag that I brought, I took out some
freshly baked cookies, taken (or stolen) from mom for my dad. “Dad, I have to
go now. These are for you,” I said and hugged him again.

I was awakened by someone rushing into my room. “Sue, can’t
you have the courtesy to knock first? What happened? Tell me?” I demanded.
“June! June! Come out to the hall and see for yourself!” my lovely sister said
and roughly held my hands to lead me out.

What I saw that day I would not forget for the rest of my
life! They were hugging so tight no ants could even pass through! I knelt down
and cried! They saw and both of them knelt with me and together with Sue, we
‘entangle’ ourselves, promised never to disentangle again!

My dad brought me to see a ‘Man’ who everyone thought was
the Messiah promised long ago. He would be like the Saviour of mankind. We went
there early just like our usual picnic days! I was happy beyond measure! A
large crowd was there already when we arrived. I saw the Person my dad brought
me to see and hear. I felt the presence of God so real when he stood up to
speak.

He taught, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are
those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed
are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called
sons of God.” Jesus the Christ paused.

I felt two pair of gentle hands on my back. Turning around, I
found out it was my parents’ hands and they were in tears! “He is speaking of
you,” my dad whispered! And when I looked again at Jesus, I saw he was looking
at me and smiled. Those were the best days of my life!

How many people in the world today desire peace! Most if not
all! Countless people are peace lovers but sadly not many dare to be peacemakers.
In the beatitude, Jesus taught the connection between peacemakers with sons (or
daughters) of God. If you profess to be
a child of God, you are called to be peacemakers! The message is plain and
clear.

There is a difference between worldly peacemakers and a
Christian one. Yes, we must stand for peace and we must also try our best to
make peace with two disputing parties. Yet, our call is of a higher nature! We
are called to help reconcile the lost to God. We reach out to those whose lives
are empty without God and are anxious without assurance of the love of God. This peace that God gives the world will never understand until they are made
right with God.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give
to you as the world gives (John 14:27).

Oh, the joy and satisfaction of seeing wrecked lives
reconcile with the peace of God! But greater joy would the one who ignites and
starts that process of reconciliation!

All
this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the
ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in
Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the
message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God
were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be
reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:18-20).

Thursday, July 5, 2012

The word retreat has a negative connotation especially in regards
to war and also in business. If a nation is retreating in a war, it most
probably means they are on the losing side. If a business is in the same
situation, they are not doing too well. However, many use this word, retreat,
for something good. When someone is in a retreat, he or she seems to be
enjoying a holiday or a breather. When a company does a leadership retreat, it
actually speaks of employees or key staff going some place together to get new
strategies, for awards and perhaps renewing of its mission.

What
about retreats in a church setting or to an individual Christian’s life?
Although no one normally takes retreats for a long period of time, it is so
necessary for us Christians periodically to take short breaks or pauses to
ponder over our walk with God. In the setting of a church - a church camp or a
seminar. Or even time-outs on our own for a day or two. Normally, God speaks in
these retreats. Not that God doesn’t speak at other times but in these focussed
moments, we listen. Christians today are a distracted lot because we live in a
fragmented world of many ‘noises’. Worldly philosophies and unbiblical opinions
are ‘shouting’ loudly everyday through the screens of televisions and
computers. Busyness of the day adds to the confusion in our minds, what is of
God and what is not.

What
are the benefits of “retreating” as we journey on forward in our walk with God?
The first benefit is that,

1.
We calm down.

At
a retreat, away from the hustling and bustling of professional or college life,
we let our minds be at ease. It is like taking a refreshing sip of cool water
after a scintillating long walk in a hot day. Like a father who comes home from
a hard day’s work to finally being welcomed by his lovely wife and his adorable
young daughter. In a hive of activities of creating
everything in the earth, the sun and moon, God looked back and ‘rested’ at all
His marvellous creations. God created the garden for man, a perfect environment
for rest and retreats. It was fairy-tale like beginning. When mankind fell,
they were restless, always looking for ways to survive on their own. Those who
depended on God got their respite while those who rebelled, suffered.

When
Jesus restored us back to God through His death and resurrection, we now have
the privilege to rest in God’s presence. The closer we are to God, the less
anxious we become. That where retreats help to achieve. Six days of work were
scheduled for mankind and one day of rest was chiseled in stone. Work is
honourable but overwork dishonours God!

In
a research recently, doctors found out that fifty over illnesses were directly
related to stress. So, let us all calm down as we take our ‘retreats’.

When
we are calm, then the next benefit is that,

2.
We see things in a different light.

When
you take a plane to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur, you cannot see anything while
on the way there. When you take a bus, you will manage to see a great number of
things while you travel along. If you want to see more, or even feel the pulse
of the people, you drive and stop at certain places. If you want to smell the
flowers and see butterflies and bugs, you walk!

As
we slow down in a conducive environment, we begin to see many things we may not
have noticed during our stressful day work.

King David’s life always paints a picture of utter trial and
turmoil in his life, yet maintains an internal compass that always points to
“true north.” Whereas most of us look for happiness based on external
circumstances in our lives, David has discovered a deeper joy grounded in his
inner self. Taken from THE GREAT
PURSUIT: The Message for Those In Search of God, by Eugene H. Peterson and
Randall Niles (NavPress 2007).

There are many scriptures confiming his calmness in spite of his
trials (Psalms 32:3-7; cf. 3:1-8)

Let us learn from him when he said, “Know that the LORD has set
apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. In your
anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.
Selah” (Psalm 4:4).

What
makes David different from so many who go hysterical when face with troubles?
His quiet times with God. His retreats so to speak. His bedtimes when he chose
to let God do the talking and him the pondering and obeying.

This
leads us to the third benefit when we do our retreats,

3.
We listen clearer.

Today,
even if we have a good budget to buy a smartphone, it still presents a tough
choice with so much of packed-in state of the art technology in different
phones and not forgetting the spectacular advertisements! Someone jokingly said
that product catalogues are from the devil, luring us to buy what we don’t need
with the money we don’t have to impress people whom we don’t even know or like.

‘Noise
pollution’ today is killing many wise decisions that we ought to make. Every
day, thousands of messages criss-cross our path and we must therefore learn the
art of holy listening. Anything that goes against the Word of God must go to
the bin. What is allowed to pass through our minds are godly values and healthy
‘titbits’. How do we discern which is which when we often make choices through
our selfish desires, whether what we choose benefits us. Most of the time, we
jump to conclusions without a clear thought process. As a result, we make mistakes. Some small mistakes can be pushed aside but
greater ones could cost us greatly.

The
answer - retreats! Say ‘STOP!’ to all the noises once in a while and take
time-outs to do processing and filtering. That’s where we practice holy
listening. As we calm down and seeing things in God’s perspective, we will be
ready for the voice of God. This is not suggesting that God only speaks at
retreats but at those quiet moments, we listen clearer.

God’s
voice through His Word could be our determining factor whether our sojourn on
earth is God’s best or wasted opportunities. Listening to God is an art where
once upon a time in Israel only prophets could hear while the rest indulged in
disobedience. Their call to be the light to the Gentiles went unfulfilled. Even
the disciples of Jesus at one time could not discern the voice of God, a case
of so near yet so far. But when they did, they turned the world ‘upside down’.
It all happened when they gathered for a retreat as commanded by Christ before
His ascension (Acts 2).

God
loves to speak to His children but are we listening?

After
we are able to hear the voice of God in a retreat, the fourth benefit is that,

4.
We can process slowly.

Another
word for the above is meditation. Many Christians rush through their devotion
time (if you could call it devotion) and miss out on the meditation part. They
swallow whole the Word of God as a duty without chewing on it. Rushing through
with God never works in this life. The mountains were Moses’ training ground.
For prophet Elijah, it was the cave that saved his remaining ministry as God
spoke in a still small voice. King David’s finest years in forging a close
relationship with God were when he was a shepherd boy. He trusted God to kill
Goliath while the great army of King Saul cowed in fear. Like Moses, the higher
grounds were our Lord Jesus’ connecting place with His Father.

This
step is vital for our preparation for action. It is not a place per se or even
time spent in retreats that counts, it is whether we have the assurance of
God’s Word. It is like Habakkuk who in spite of troubles everywhere managed to
rejoice in the Lord. After the meditation in his own retreat, he was assured of
the plan of God (Hab. 3). The Psalmist who was angry with God because of
unrighteous prospering came out of God’s sanctuary with the clear understanding
of God (Psalm 73).

Many
Christians today know all about God but still fall short of knowing God! Do you
know God and know what He wants from you? You won’t be clear until you meditate
in His presence. Unless you are clear, the next and last benefit of this
article would not be impactful to you.

5.
God will use you for His glory.

God
desires to fellowship with His people. It is up to us to create time, go to
certain quiet places to hear from Him. And when our hearts are ready, God not
only presents us His plan but calls us to do His bidding. Unfortunately, there
are so many half-baked believers of God who barely scrape through the surface
of God’s best for their lives. It is like the Israelites who tasted the manna
from heaven but died wandering in the desert.

The
earth is not a play ground while we enroute to heaven. Rather, it is a training
ground for us in God’s heavenly plans. The King of kings is looking for anyone
who is available, willing, adaptable and long suffering to do His work. Are you
the one? Truth be told that you cannot be one until you build a close bond with
God. That’s where retreats are vital bridge-builders. They may link us to God’s
master plan and our little humble part that He allows us to play.

Retreats
are not sure proof of all the benefits mentioned in this article. We can be all alone in
a quiet cool cave for a week and yet our minds are restless. What makes the
difference? Our trust in God that He holds the key to the best things in our
life. The world may give us pleasure but never rest. Everything
that this world gives us is temporary, but God gives us inheritance for
eternity which we can enjoy forever. If our heart is set on things above, then
a retreat will help to streamline our priorities in life. To filter out all the
noises of the world and absorb in God’s Word in all its fulness.

Friday, June 15, 2012

I saw that smile again. Why I had to come to this stage that I had to envy some poor soul? The unfortunate one as I often thought of
him just had a fall, breaking his leg. He had also lost his
father few weeks ago. Here I was having everything in life a man would want. It
just didn’t add up. I had a great family, a booming business and also good
health to boast with but deep down I was depressed. Why?

Truth be told, many times I was tempted to ask him but ego
stopped me. Perhaps I was afraid to approach him for some ‘unneighbourly’
things I had done. I didn’t even offer help when his father passed away. Even
though he was poor, his wife even at times gave us some fruits whenever there had
some extras. But I got no time for them, because I didn’t want to lose time
mixing with poor people. My business had taken most of my time, eating even
into my family’s life.

My mind was preoccupied with all the farm workers, making
sure they worked and oh, the financial part of the business, no one could get a
single extra dime from me. Lately, I had been drinking and feasting, mixing
with some tax collectors, wanting to gain some favours from them. My wife might
not know but I had started fooling around with women with all my accumulated wealth.

It just drove me crazy to see the glow in this man. Was not
happiness found in wealth as I always had thought? How come it was not? To make
matter worse, this guy next door constantly ‘knocked’ on my conscience door of
my heart. Yes, I did cheat a little in my business but wasn’t that the norm? It
didn’t fit at all to whatever I was having in life. This family had almost zero
in terms of pleasure but they seemed to enjoy life.

I had had enough. As I was thinking hard, a voice spoke, “Good
Day! Gordon!”

“Ehhh, Good!” I replied in haste. He stood there smiling as
usual. “That rotten smile again!” I thought to myself. “Can I ask you a
question?” I put my anger to good use. “What makes you….happy?” I asked, drowning
my ego for the time being.

“God!” he answered. I froze in his one word answer. “Okay. I
got to go. See you around,” I quickly turned away from this guilt-ridden
conversation. As I walked just a bit, he shouted, “Will you like to go to Olive
Avenue for a meeting with a Man who claimed Himself to be God this evening?” I
stopped. “Huh?”

I walked on without looking back. I had heard of that Person
who had healed many sicknesses and diseases. It was like unheard of miracles
being performed by Him. “Why not?” I whispered softly to myself.

The crowd was unruly as I arrived to the venue to meet with
this Man, many claimed to be the Messiah who was to come. Everyone just wanted
to get a glimpse of Him. From afar, I
saw Him. This Man had even a greater glow than my neighbour next door.

And then
he spoke.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed
are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see
God.”

When He paused, the one word, “God” rang in my ears like a
bell. My heart felt like exploding inside, so much of guilt and shame stirring
within. Then I saw him. My neighbour, Timothy knelt with his hands raised. I
saw tears flowing freely. It was not sadness but a life that filled with the joy
of God. Did he see something I didn’t?

Then I turned to look at Jesus. His eyes
locked mine. At that moment, I was repentant and for the first time, I felt
pure! I knew what happiness really was. That day, an encounter with Jesus
changed my life forever. I saw what Timothy saw. God!

No other values of Christianity have been challenged so
strongly, passionately and subtlely than purity. What was being considered promiscuous
behaviours twenty years ago are now accepted in today’s society. Although no
Christian is perfect in purity, God desires us to walk with a clear conscience.
He loves all of us to have healthy relationships, first with Him, then with everyone.

Jesus Himself simplifies the complicated 613-law system of the Jewish people
into two relationship laws which sum up all the laws and regulations the Old
Testament writers speak about.

(Mat 22:37-40) Jesus
replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And
the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the Law and the
Prophets hang on these two commandments."

In another place, Jesus emphasises good relationship as he
speaks these words below...

(Mat 7:12) So in
everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up
the Law and the Prophets.

We live in a broken world! So common today to see and hear
of broken relationships and of dysfunctional families everywhere. To make
matter worse, we have the Hollywood movies, TV shows and product advertisements
suggesting young people to live life free. Do whatever you want as long as you
don’t harm anyone.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. To see
God means to experience the reality of God every day. A truly happy and fulfilled
life knows that God is with us. That God is pleased with us. Peace and joy
flood our inner being every day. In contrary, people with impure heart live
with shame and guilt. They always play the guessing game not knowing whether
God accepts them or not. Their conscience pricks them throughout the course of
the day. If their hearts are not settled, eventually they will go from bad to
worse. The Bible even said that these people’s consciences can be seared (1 Timothy 4:2).
They would go on living a lie.

To be pure needs determination. It is hard. However, we are
not without help. The Holy Spirit resides in a Christian and those who
keep in step with Him, will grow the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

(Gal 5:22-23) But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control….

Next: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called
sons of God (Mat 5:9).http://psbible.blogspot.com/2012/08/blessed-are-peacemakers-for-they-will.html

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

“Please
forgive my son. I beg you,” the elderly woman knelt and
sobbed in front of my small little abode. My head screamed for justice but my
heart looked with pity. Both of us were broken deep inside, burden so heavy
that only God could have understood. There were no more tears left in my eyes.

Elizabeth, just few days ago, was a proud mother to Phillips,
her only son. Without a slightest hint to her, Phillips was a farmer by day and
a thief by night. To Beth, he was a good filial son, expert in making her
laugh.

That fateful day, something went seriously wrong. My
son, Bryan woke to find Phillips searching for his spoils. They got into a
scuffle and my beloved son was unintentionally killed. Phillips knelt at
Bryan’s body, frantically trying to revive him but to no avail. Out of great
fear, he ran away while constantly muttering something like, “It was not me! It was not me!”

As the commotion woke us up, I was shocked to see
Bryan in a pool of blood. I didn’t know how long I held on to his lifeless
body. My husband tried with all his might and words for me to let go but I
prevailed. When I did let go eventually, the whole world had gone blank. There
was like no one inside me. Emptiness was all I got.

My husband and I cried buckets of tears every
minute. We tried to be strong for our youngest daughter but it was like a
gigantic task. Then this lady came begging at my grieving house. I let out a
heinous whisper which I regretted later, “Mother
of a murderer!”

Initially, I tried to drown out Elizabeth’s words,
telling her to just go. For a while I was unflinchingly unforgiving, and then I
saw through the crying face into her broken heart. We are in different
circumstances, yet the same cut in the heart. A cut so deep only a loving
mother would understand. Both of our worlds were torn asunder.

With my approval, my husband ushered Elizabeth into
the house and we hugged for the very first time. “Please forgive us. I know I am not worthy to even come here. Have
mercy on my son. He wanted to kill himself this morning but I stopped him in
the nick of time,” Elizabeth cried as she pleaded. “We can be your slaves for the rest of our lives but just let him
live,” she added within sobs.

I sensed a supernatural strength blew into my
grieving soul. Yes, I cannot bring back
my son, but do I want to kill off another ‘son’?

“I will
forgive your son. Give me some time,” I offered
some kind of a temporary solution to ease both our burdens a little. “I will wait for it as long as I am still
alive,” Elizabeth hugged me tighter.

That afternoon, my husband brought me to hear a
“man” many presumed to be a prophet from God and some even said he was God
incarnate. This ‘person’ had done wonderful miracles in many places and he was
in this side of town.

When we arrived, there was already a large crowd
waiting eagerly just to hear firsthand from him. Still crying and aching from
the inside of me, I wanted to find relief, perhaps from this man of God. He stood up after a while of waiting, and spoke. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the
merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

Jesus, the man they called Son of
God, paused. His penetrating eyes caught mine. I felt he was looking directly
at me.

“How did
he know what happened?” I thought to myself, tears
streaming down my eyes. “I thought God
would not even care,” I continued to be carried away in the world of my
own. Jesus’ words and eyes made significant impact deep inside my sorrowful
soul. It felt like a born again experience, a regeneration.

I saw my husband cried too. He came over to hug me
and whispered, “Blessed are the merciful.
That’s us!” We hugged for some time and as I opened my eyes, I saw them.
They stared at me, waiting for my nod of life. I smiled for the very first time
since the deadly incident. Then I saw them approaching where we were standing.
Elizabeth pushed her son, Phillips, nearer to me. He knelt and uttered, “Please forgive me! I cannot undo anything
but I will do what needed to be done. I will serve your family like any son
would. I pledge my life for your family. God is my witness.”

I lost a son that I had but I found one back that
was lost.

When Jesus speaks of the fifth beatitude, he knows
that he will be the greatest example of showing mercy* than anyone in the
world. The Creator who made the universe is about to become a sacrifice for His
creations. The King will give His life for His subjects. His trial will be a
mockery and injustices towards Him will pile high into the heavens.

When humans show mercy, it would forever fall short
of what Jesus had done. His sacrifice is like a billion dollars to our one
hundred bucks of mercy. It’s like comparing eternity with a mere 100 years of
pilgrimage here on earth. And that sometimes we even took great pride when we
forgave others thinking we had done God proud.

We appreciate God’s mercy more when we do the same
with our lives. In fact, when we are saved, we are to become more like Christ.
Showing mercy is a significant part of a godly life as we live in the midst of injustices
and oppressions. Depending on the degree of the hurt, forgiveness usually takes
a process of time and effort. More so, it depends on our willingness to let go
and how far we want to go and glorify God!

*There is
a difference between mercy and grace. When you hurt someone and that someone
forgives you, that’s mercy. When you hurt someone and that someone forgives you
and still treats you as loving as before or even more, that’s grace. God shows
us mercy by wiping our sins away and sets us free. God shows us grace by
creating a godly family for us and giving us a share in His Son’s inheritance!
In other words, everything we have today is a product of God’s grace! We simply
fall apart without His mercy and grace! So, be merciful!

NEXT: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see Godhttp://psbible.blogspot.com/2012/06/blessed-are-pure-in-heart-for-they-will.html

Thursday, March 8, 2012

I was looking at the dwindling wheat and tears fell from my eyes. Since it was not in my nature to blame God for my predicament, I continued painfully to trust my Provider. My husband had to toil day and night to provide food on the table. Both of us needed to be strong in order to take care of my two lovely sons. Their future was our concern. To me, anyone that bothered not about the next generation would be a selfish fellow. For God had spoken so much about passing to the next generation, His Word, His wisdom. I strived then to be an exemplary mother.As I knelt there in prayer, I heard a sweet call of my name from outside. My husband had been my constant strength in the midst of difficulties. I considered him my fortress. As I open the door, two smiling boys rushed to fill my arms of love. They just loved spending time with their awesome dad. Danny and Tom might not understand what we went through but to see them happy was a worthwhile sacrifice.The central theme for both of us was following God’s Word. It was the only foundation that we built our lives upon. We constantly thirst for more of Him to impart and impact our kids. One question always stood out as a motto in our lives: How could we give when we ourselves were not filled?“Darling, I had a rough day today,” my man let out a sigh. While the boys left to play, I hugged him tight. “Tell me, I am a good listener,” I said, hoping my love would comfort him.“I was happy this afternoon to receive my pay for the week, at least it was not cut like before with all kinds of unclear taxes. My arrogant boss had seen my commitment to his farm and decided to spare me the cut. I know he is not a man of integrity but I thank God, he did something good for me today,” he spoke gently.“That’s good news but…” I chipped in, eagerly waiting for the rough part.“Yah, there was a ‘but’. After that, as I strolled home whistling God’s praise, a friend came to me with a sad story. He told me that he needed some money to pay off his landlord where he owed for quite a number of months. He sounded quite desperate. He is an honest man as far as I know. I was struggling between our own lack and the gentle voice of God tugging at my heart,” my husband spoke slower.In my heart, I already knew the outcome of that encounter. “How much did you lend him?” I probed.“Half of my pay,” he said softly, looking at me. Although he was strong in leading our home, he wanted some sort of approval from me. He always desired that we were on the same page. It would be tough for us but I gave him a hearty approval. I held him tighter and uttered, “I am SO proud of you.” In my mind, all along, I wanted my husband to do what was right in the eyes of God all the time, even in the midst of difficulties. He let out a smile that melted my heart. We might have suffered lack but deep within us, we were fulfilled. We felt like we were in the centre of God’s great purpose for our lives. Indeed, the joy of the Lord was our strength!“Hey, Sweetest Darling, you know what. I heard of a man from God coming into this side of town which many said is the prophesied Messiah. Can I have a date with you this evening?” my husband asked with a booming voice. When we arrived to the place, there was already a crowd, all anticipating what this “Messiah” would say to them. We park ourselves at a corner with the two boys, looking forward for the sweet gentle voice of God which we always longed after.A well-built man stood up and declared, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”Jesus paused and we stood speechless. Every word seemed like fire burning deep into our souls. My husband and I were like empty vessels, thirsting for more of God. And those words ignited in us a frenzy of emotions, coming from Jesus the Messiah Himself. It was like, ‘Wow, God knew what was in my mind and what we did for Him!’ kind of a feeling. Our physical (wheat) vessel needed filling, so was our spiritual vessel. I raised my hands and said softly, “God, you are truly my Provider!”The encounter with God that day greatly boosted our confidence to continue being righteous man and woman of God.The fourth beatitude suggests a life of consciously following every instruction of God. It is choosing to be a willing vessel for God’s glory. Today unfortunately, many Christians have conformed to the patterns of this world, being in sync with its standards. They live their life depending on circumstances and their own constant-changing feelings. Some have also argued away the truths from the Bible with worldly philosophies and fear of men.The only fulfilment we can find as Christians is by living and relying on the solid ROCK of God’s Word as the only foundation. All other ways are shifting sand. We may stand firm on them for a while but eventually we will crumble. Even the seemingly righteous acts that flow out from the world are nothing but selfish agendas. The prophet Isaiah declared long ago, “..all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;.. (Isa 64:6). Jesus lambasted some Pharisees for being like whitewash tombs, a depiction of lovely on the outside but dead men’s bones on the inside (Matthew 23:27).A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isa 40:6-8)Apart from God’s Word, everything will fail. The above verses are so relevant for today’s generation where there are so many godless people who are striving to find fulfilment and meaning to life, not knowing they are like grass that would soon wither. God told Isaiah to present Him and His Word confidently to the lost world. In essence, God proclaimed, “Either you stand on My Word or you fall, period.”Usually, people do things guided by their innate beliefs. When they believe something contrary to the Word of God, then they will do and behave likewise. In the same manner, the Christians who hold on to the Word of God, they will do accordingly. We must not be afraid of our weaknesses. God is our Provider. God will fill our inadequacies with His power and grace as we act. He will empower us when we go for Him.(Isa 40:28-31) Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. NOTE: Righteousness could have a two-fold meaning. First, we are righteous because Christ died for our sins. That’s our position in God. The second meaning is found in our actions. Due to our righteous position, we do righteous acts. Position of righteousness doesn’t mean that automatically righteous acts will flow out from our beings. We have to practice what we believe in. Someone said this, “Even when we are on the right track, we will get run over when we stay still.”Next: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.http://psbible.blogspot.com/2012/05/blessed-are-merciful-for-they-will-be.html

Friday, January 27, 2012

An older preacher told the story of a young minister interviewing for his first pastorate. The Pulpit Committee had invited him to come over to their church for the interview. The committee chairman asked, "Son, do you know the Bible pretty good?" The young minister said, "Yes, pretty good." The chairman asked, "Which part do you know best?" He responded saying, "I know the New Testament best." "Which part of the New Testament do you know best," asked the chairman. The young minister said, "Several parts." The chairman said, "Well, why don't you tell us the story of the Prodigal Son." The young man said, "Fine.""There was a man of the Pharisees name Nicodemus, who went down to Jericho by night and he fell upon stony ground and the thorns choked him half to death. The next morning Solomon and his wife, Gomorrah, came by, and carried him down to the ark for Moses to take care of. But, as he was going through the Eastern Gate into the Ark, he caught his hair in a limb and he hung there forty days and forty nights and he afterwards did hunger. And, the ravens came and fed him. The next day, the three wise men came and carried him down to the boat dock and he caught a ship to Nineveh. And when he got there he found Delilah sitting on the wall. He said, "Throw her down, boys, throw her down." And, they said, "How many times shall we throw her down, till seven time seven?" And he said, "No, but seventy times seven." And they chucked her down four hundred and ninety times. And, she burst asunder in their midst. And they picked up twelve baskets of the leftovers. And, in the resurrection whose wife shall she be?" The above incident may not be true but the confusion of the Word of God is often true in Christians today. Believers everywhere today are ‘nibble nibble’ Christians rather than wholesome ones. Their Bible reading or hearing, most of the time on Sundays only, is like fine dining instead of continuous nutritious chewing and digesting. One well-known preacher in the United States went so far to say that the Americans have become illiterate in Bible knowledge. The term ‘Crayon Christianity’ is aptly applied to this generation of believers. The maturity level in the Word stopped when they left Sunday School. The rest is just nibbling from every nook and corner, hardly able to distinguish right from wrong. Today’s Christianity has been challenged with greater intensity. Atheists are slowly gaining mass appeal. The famous atheists used to be some nerdy, thick-spectacled professors having debates with high and mighty theologians concerning high and mighty issues of faith. This scenario has begun to change; young and old are now starting to be interested in hearing famous atheists challenging the Bible and its doctrines. Richard Dawkins wrote “God-Delusion” and sold about 2 million copies. Christopher Hitchens who wrote “God is not great” had a great following, young and old alike. People like television host, Bill Maher, actor Ricky Gervais and also singer Lady Gaga had mass appeal. These famous people are not only atheists (maybe Lady Gaga has a slight Roman Catholic background), they are incredibly intelligent and well-versed with today’s world. There are hosts of others who are coming up to challenge the way Christians live for Christ and the biblical standard and if we are ill-equipped, then we may waver in our living for Christ. It is not enough to just nibble God’s Word on Sundays. We must chomp and gulp His precious Word every day, taking self initiative, self feeding your way to maturity. God is preparing and equipping His army of believers who are able to stand firm on His Word and withstand every challenge against it. There is no excuse whatsoever for Christians today not to be equipped in God’s Word as God has provided more than enough resources for us. Let us consider few things we need to do in order to be well-equipped…1. We have to seriously think of learning apologetics (how to defend our faith).

Read books like “More than a Carpenter” and “Evidences that demand a verdict” by Josh Mc Dowell and “Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel. (These three books are quite sufficient, not only to defend our faith, it will also strengthen our faith)Below are a few quotes from two famous atheists challenging what the Word of God is saying,Christopher Hitchens,“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”“Exceptional claims demand exceptional evidence.”The Bible may, indeed does, contain a warrant for trafficking in humans, for ethnic cleansing, for slavery, for bride-price, and for indiscriminate massacre, but we are not bound by any of it because it was put together by crude, uncultured human mammals.”Richard Dawkins,Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.

I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world. Religion is about turning untested belief into unshakable truth through the power of institutions and the passage of time.Believers in the Lord must progress by the day, both in the Word and in spirituality. When we first became Christians, we were like babies naturally craving for milk. Often it is provided by mature believers in the church. After a certain time in the Lord, we will have to find truths for our own life, to satisfy a greater thirst for God. Although we still need teachers and professors to deliver deeper truths to us, all of us can connect to the Holy Spirit and learn from the Master Teacher. It is more about the attitude of learning rather than a matter of intelligence. Do you want to learn? Or do you still want to depend on the ‘bottle’ or ‘handouts’?2. Read daily the Word of God, book by book.While it is not wrong to nibble the Bible here and there every day, but to get a good wholesome picture of the text, we need to read it systematically. Many Christians today may not know the many connections between the Old Testament and the New. We must understand both Testaments in order to get a complete picture of what God is doing. Although the Bible is a library of sixty six books, they all present a same theme, “the world is fallen and God is the Saviour”. Since history began, there are no other writings or literatures which were compiled by more than forty writers who mostly didn’t know each other, spanning more than three thousand years and yet could arrive at the same theme. It is indeed a mind-blowing miracle. When we read a novel, it is often completed within a day or two. Even remembering its plots and subplots. When it comes to the Bible, we jump from Exodus to Nehemiah, from Ephesians to Jeremiah. Worse, we flip randomly and viola! God has spoken!3. Read to understand and not read to complete a Christian duty.Jesus’ main idea of telling parables is that the people may understand the message of the kingdom, especially the parable of the soils. He wants to turn the religious mindset of the people upside down. The main point of God giving us the Bible is that we can understand a little about God yet enough to live an abundant, fulfilled life. Due to the frantic pace of life today, we rush through a passage of Scriptures or two, happy that we have done our duty. Thinking that would solve our life's woes! This fallen world will never satisfy us. Only God’s Word is able to penetrate deep into the desires of our souls. That's why there are so much worries in our lives! We worry because we do not read His Word. We do not trust what God said because we read out of duty. Let us read to hear God’s voice. Only when we are absolutely clear, then we can able to move forward. 4. Apply what you read – Allign your heart and actions with the Word of God.The more you do God’s Word, the greater you learn. Often times, Christians are ‘holy’ on Sunday but worldly on the other days. They wasted their God-given talents living carelessly. Jesus always challenges people to do His Word. The parable of the wise and foolish builders illustrates that clearly. The one who builds his house on the rock is the one who hears God’s Word and put it into practice. It will stand firm against the storms of life. Contrast to the one who hears God’s word and does not practice it, he builds his house on sand. The house will certainly collapse when the tide hits (Matthew 7:24-27).

Humans are wired to fulfil God’s purposes. If we don’t hit it, we feel awful. Material things, fame or glory will only satisfy us for a short while. In the end, we will always come back to this question, “What is my ultimate purpose in life?” “Have I done what I was created for?” Therefore, serve God to the best of your ability, both inside and outside the church. It is more outside the church than inside where most of the Christians are working or studying. Devote your skills, finance, and intelligence to the purposes of God in your life. Do not be like the Israelites during the Exodus who wandered in the wilderness for forty wasted years! They knew what God had said but did not act on His Word. Every one of them died on the sand in the desert except Joshua, Caleb and the younger generation.Understanding the Bible is not that we can outsmart people who don’t. It is about serving God’s purposes on earth. When we are confident and ready, God will then use us for His kingdom and His glory!

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About Me

My name is Ronnie Ding. I was born in Sitiawan, Perak, Malaysia. My hometown was blessed when renowned Christian Leader Watchman Nee from China started a church there and later, evangelist John Sung came. Studied in Bible College of Malaysia. I love Jesus above everything else. I believe Bible as God's living Word, fresh for all generation! If any names appeared in any stories written in this blog being identical to anyone, they are purely coincidental. All comments in this blog will be promptly replied except those really offensive ones.